Adult Immunizations Save Lives 

By Kevin Thurm, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services


Closing the Gap, Adult Immunizations Save Lives • November 1998


I

am delighted that the Office of Minority Health has chosen to 

focus this issue on adult immunization, and appreciate the opportunity to share with you the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services’ (HHS) message about the critical importance of protecting adults as well as children against vaccine-preventable diseases. 

As health workers, educators, and community leaders, you play a 

vital role in adult immunization, whether you are providing routine 

care for a patient, treating individuals who are at high risk of vaccinepreventable diseases such as influenza (flu) or pneumonia, or educating your neighbors or your community about important health issues. I invite you to join us and our partners in our coordinated efforts 

to prevent illness and to save the lives of as many as 50,000 to 70,000 

adults each year in the United States who die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications. 

We’ve made great strides in protecting children against such deadly 

infectious diseases as polio. Because of the efforts of individuals like 

you, childhood immunization rates are at an all-time high and infant 

mortality is at an all-time low. 

But tragically, adults, particularly seniors and racial and ethnic 

minorities, are not enjoying the same protection against vaccine-preventable diseases as our children. In fact, each year in the U.S. alone, 

at least 45,000 adults die of complications of influenza, pneumonia, 

or hepatitis B despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines to 

prevent these illnesses. And about 90 percent of the deaths from flurelated illnesses occur in people aged 65 and above. 

The Clinton Administration has fought to reach the same level 

of success getting adults immunized as we have in ensuring our 

children’s safety from disease and sickness. Medicare coverage of flu 

shots for seniors began in 1993, providing a boost to adult immunization rates. In 1997, 65 percent of the nation’s elderly—nearly all of 

them Medicare beneficiaries—received their annual flu shots, a 15 

percent jump from 1993. Medicare also covers pneumococcal shots. 

Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go. Adults remain 100 

times more likely than children to die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. People with diabetes are about three times more likely to 

die from flu and pneumonia than those without diabetes, yet more 

than half of those with diabetes did not get a flu shot in 1995. In 

addition, African-Americans and other minorities continue to fall short 

of the immunization levels of the general population. 

That’s why last year we began implementing a comprehensive 

Adult Immunization Action Plan—a blueprint for future action by 

HHS and our partners. To reach our goals, we are working with our 

partners to determine which immunization strategies work best and 

why, and to share that information as broadly as possible. We are 

continuing to build on sound, scientific research at all levels. We are 

finding new ways to effectively deliver vaccines to adults, not only in 

the hospital, clinic, or nursing home, but also in non-traditional sites 

like pharmacies and churches. And we are getting the message to 

doctors and health care professionals, to families and communities, 

that vaccination is not just the smart thing to do, it’s the right thing to 

do. 

Meanwhile, we are strengthening our efforts to overcome the 

disproportionate burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in racial and 

ethnic communities. The HHS Initiative to Eliminate Racial and 

Ethnic Disparities in Health, announced earlier this year by President 

Clinton and HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala, and led by Surgeon 

General Dr. David Satcher, plans to eliminate health disparities in six 

critical areas, including adult immunizations, by the year 2010. 

With the flu season now upon us, there is no better time for you 

to be involved. Take every opportunity to remind seniors that flu and 

pneumococcal shots are important and are covered by Medicare. Encourage others at high risk to get vaccinated, including individuals 

with diabetes. Join or form a coalition in your community to spread 

the word about adult immunization. 

To accomplish this, we need your commitment, leadership, and 

energy. I hope this issue will provide you with a better understanding 

of adult immunization and more determination than ever to work 

together to ensure that adults receive the lifesaving vaccines they 

need.

Office of Minority Health Resource Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services